Legends of a Youko and a Koumori
by Synaptic-Firefly
Summary: Separate stories surrounding the friendship and love between two notable bandits, Kurama and Kuronue, as they go through life and death in the dreadful world of Makai. Slashish, a hint of lime and general themes. M for blatant swearing.
1. The Hat

_**Legends of a Youko and a Koumori**_

**Disclaimer: If you think that I own YYH or YYH: Poltergeist Report, you are sadly mistaken.**

**Warnings: Hints of shonen-ai, frog abuse, mild swearing**

* * *

_The Hat_

Summary: Kurama's insistence at the lack of originality in Kuronue's head-wear pushes them to find the trademark hat we all know and love.

"You're plain looking." Was what Kuronue's pointed ears picked up as he read an ancient scroll they stole from their last escapade from a wealthy frog demon. Annoyed, he turned to the source of the comment to see a sly grinning fox demon staring at him from the bag of treasure he had in his hands.

"What?" Was the only word he could form out of his mouth. He didn't know whether to look offended or worried with the calculating look Youko was giving him.

Before he knew it, Kurama disappeared from thin air and the bat demon jumped as he automatically felt a strong youkai presence behind him.

Not again.

"Let go, you crazy fox!" Kuronue snarled, holding onto his ponytail for dear life as Kurama pulled playfully yet incessantly at it, trying to unravel it. "For Inari's sake! Get the hell off of me!!"

But Kurama refused to heed his partner's words and continued to pull like a kitten that caught a piece of yarn in it's teeth. Kuronue decided to settle things once for all.

Kurama yelped when the bat managed to grab one hand on his silvery tail and pulled with the same ferocity as the fox was doing with his hair. After a bit of a scuffle with neither giving in, they ended at a stalemate.

"I'll let go, if you let go Kurama," Kuronue finally compromised after a tense silence. Kurama made a sound of affirmative and slowly, but surely, they loosened their hold on one another and the fox made a move to pull Kuronue's neck back and placed a chaste kiss on his lips as his way of a playful truce.

Kuronue was quite used to Kurama's unusual displays of affection upon his person and let him do as he wanted. You can't argue with him on anything when he's in his childish mode and he was sure that any youkai that had seen anything wouldn't open their mouths against an A-Class youkai, especially the legendary fox thief Youko Kurama.

"If you're quite done yet," Kuronue grinned at the equally smirking Youko. But his smile faded into annoyed line of a frown."Could you stop messing with my hair?! It's annoying."

"It's too plain-looking," Kurama pointed out simply. "I can't let you ruin my god-like image with your plainness if you're running with me. Fix it, or you're out of the job."

The bat demon narrowed his eyebrows in disbelief. "I've been your partner for six-hundred years, Youko, and _now_ you're worrying about my image with you?!"

"Better late than never."

"What's wrong with my hair?!"

"It's in a ponytail."

"So? Who cares if it's in a ponytail?! It's too long to leave down, stupid!"

"The only thing that's stupid around here is your lack of styling," Kurama smirked. When Kuronue resorted to glaring down at him, he continued. "Look, your getup is amazing, sexy even. Borderline BDSM in my opinion," He hungrily stared at the leather bands twisting around Kuronue's arms. "It says, 'look, I'm hot, sexy and Youko Kurama's bitch', but your hair leaves little to the imagination."

Kuronue's glare turned lethal when he was compared as his partner's 'bitch' and his wings twitched dangerously. "In that case, I'll go visit the nearest village and change my look, so other demons don't get the wrong idea about you and me." He irritably shoved Youko's shoulder as he strode past him, externally pissed and internally hurt at the comments Kurama made about his ensemble, but there was no way in the seven hells that he was going to vocally say it aloud.

"Kuronue."

The bat demon turned reluctantly at his partner, hoping for the slim chance of an apology. "What now, fox?"

He merely saw an arrogant smirk. "While you're there, do something with your hair."

With a gust of wind underneath his wings and a hollered 'SCREW YOU' at his amused partner, he soared out of the clearing.

A few hours later...

He couldn't believe what he was doing as he walked amongst a crowd of demons in a huge marketplace, with no destination in mind.

He had half the mind to just leave the partnership of the fox thief and go solo. He had enough of the verbal criticisms from the silver haired youkai. But instead, his feet made quick work into the nearest village like he told Kurama he would and mindlessly viewed the shoppers and items, keeping an eye for rare items and jewelry stands. Just because he was pissed didn't mean he'd given up stealing when the chance would come by.

"Come here, come here," A knarled greenish-gray hand beckoned over the curious bat youkai. "A good-looking youkai like yourself might enjoy something from my stand."

Giving a short sigh, he approached the rather repulsive lizard demon and warily looked at the trinkets.

Well, son-of-a-gun. Hair accessories.

No wonder the old demon called him over. He was eying his long raven hair.

Some were very old trinkets, gold hairpins, diamond scrunchies, and such. Ornaments that would look better on a female than a male renegade thief. He stared at the mirror used for the customer's convenience and his thoughts wandered unwillingly to a certain silver fox's smirk and words echoing in his head.

_I can't let you ruin my god-like image with your plainness if you're running with me. Fix it, or you're out of the job._

He glared angrily at his reflection. He didn't need to impress anyone, especially the so-called elusive, Youko Kurama. And if he didn't like it, it's his loss.

"I like that hat over there," A sultry voice whispered near his ear. "Try it on."

Kuronue whirled around and was face to face with the very demon he despised at the moment. "You!"

"Yes me." Youko smirked coyly as he examined a black belted hat hanging quite pathetically at the end of the table. "You don't honestly think I'd let you shop for yourself. You have terrible taste if you hadn't figure it out yet."

The bat demon growled sharply at the insult and turned away, glaring at a piece of tarnished silver and pearl hair pins and imagining using them to stab his arrogant partner right into those twitchy ears.

Kurama ignored him for a moment and pulled the hat and shoved it on the bat's head. Kuronue squirmed at the attack, but Kurama held him fast. "Stop acting like a pup and hold still."

Kuronue wrenched himself away in aggravation and glanced at the mirror. While the hat matched his outfit perfectly with it's rugged appearance and the rebellious belt around it, it was awkwardly fitted on his head due to the ponytail, making it uncomfortable.

He took it off and threw it down on the table. "It doesn't fit my head."

"Because of your ponytail," Kurama growled softly. "Get rid of it and it'll fit."

"You know what?" Kuronue finally said at last. "It's not your problem how I wear my hair and if I wanted it in a ponytail, down, or bald, it's my decision! Not yours, not anyone's got it?!"

Kurama promptly ignored him again and turned to the vendor. "How much do you want for it?"

The bat youkai's anger evaporated for a moment to blink at Kurama's question. "You want to buy it?"

The fox bandit looked at him, eyebrow raised. "Yeah, so?"

"Is the word 'buy' even in your vocabulary?" He can't imagine Youko Kurama actually _buying_ something.

"Do shut up." Kurama dropped a few coins into the vendor's pleased hand and began to twirl the hat with an elegant finger.

Kuronue rolled his eyes, obviously his demands mattered squat to his partner and proceeded to walk away when he felt a powerful force of Youki heading his way. Before he had the chance to turn, he felt a pair of familiar hands grab a hold of him and was forcefully thrown onto the ground.

"That's them!" A wholesome, hoarse voice echoed at a distance. "Those are the sons of the bitches that stole from me!"

Shit.

Kuronue looked up from the ground and amongst the hysterically running demons about, recognized the frog demon they recently stole from with a couple of friends with him.

"B-b-but s-s-sir..! That's Youko Kurama!" One of the demons sputtered as Kurama arose from the ground where he took refuge with his partner and rose to full height, golden eyes blazing with powerful youki.

"Do you mind...?" Kurama whispered hoarsely as the surrounding plants began to twitch and grow fangs and acid saliva dripping from their new mouths, looking for a meal. "We were having a lover's spat at the moment."

Kuronue shook his head warily at Kurama's comment and sat up properly, stringing up his sickle-scythe as a precaution in case the fox gets too interested into carnage and starts involving innocent bystanders.

Their opponents trembled and one by one they ran as fast as they could from the sinister plants. The demon lord fell on his behind in terror.

"Please...!" Screamed as a plant edged close to him. "Take whatever you want! Just don't hurt me!!"

"Coward," Kurama whispered dangerously. "You're not fit to assume the role of a Lord."

Kuronue raised an arm before the fox could exact a punishment on the pathetic demon and raised his sickle. "Leave before I let him use you for plant food."

The frog youkai took the hint and ran, but not before Kuronue exacted a little revenge for himself and threw his sickle after the youkai, slicing through his belt, causing the trembling frog's pants to fall down and tripped out of sight. Kurama gave a hearty laugh.

They took off into the trees back to their temporary hideout. Now that many know that they resided around the village, bounty hunters would catch the information for the chance to pursue them. They would have to grab their booty and run once again.

During the scrounging, Kurama still clutched the hat and only realized it when he reached for an expensive jewel that he had dug up from their temporary jewel refuge. He frowned at the now ruined hat. During the youki attack, the backside of the hat disintegrated, leaving the front end looking like a human visor, the only thing keeping it still a hat was the belt circling around it.

"Looks like we'll be looking for another accessory for you to wear, bats," Kurama whispered with a shrug as he threw the infernal hat into the worthless pile of junk they weren't taking with them. "It's too bad for me. I'll have to deal with another glamourous robbery alongside a plain sidekick."

But Kuronue was far from incensed. He looked curiously at the hat turned sun visor and glanced at the fox's back before snatching it from the pile and tried it on. The missing back accommodated his large ponytail nicely and checked a nearby pond to see how it looked and nodded in silent agreement. He hefted a satchel full of food and treasures over his shoulder.

"We're moving, Kuro--" Youko turned to see the bat demon's complete ensemble and smirked as his partner glared at him.

Kuronue looked away indignantly. "What? How many chances in a lifetime do you see Youko Kurama buy something instead of stealing it? Now would you leave me alone about my looks?"

"Never!" Kurama said slyly. "Your looks is all you have going for you. Someone has got to dress you everyday."

"Oh, shut up," Kuronue grumbled as he straightened his hat in agitation. The thought of Kurama undressing him was uncomfortable and appealing at the same time. "Let's just go."

"Hey bats."

"What?"

"What do you think of leather pants?"

"The same as you think about having pups with a female. Not gonna happen." Kuronue answered darkly as they ran off into the gloom toward the next unknown destination.

_And that was how Kuronue's trademark hat came into existence..._


	2. Depending On You

_**Depending On You**_

**Summary: Even two completely different children can learn to depend on one another.**

**Rating: M for very, Very mature themes: child abuse, child prostitution, swearing, death.**

* * *

It was midwinter. Kuronue knew that despite the dilapidated crate that he and a large assortment of crying children they were in. Some were huddled together for some primitive form of warmth and others lay curled up on the floor, drowning their sorrows of reality into insomniac dreams, waking and sleeping back and forth between the rocking of the wheels under them.

Kuronue hid in the corner, knees up; watching numbly at the scene before him.

They were being transported to different towns and sold to greedy demons looking for sex slaves and manual labor amongst the young. He had easily eavesdropped on a few of his fellow generation's stories. Some were sold by their own parents into slavery, others merely kidnapped from their homes and the rest were abandoned with no place to go.

That was Kuronue's story. He couldn't remember his parents or his other litter of siblings, but he was almost sure they died. Makai was a cruel world after all.

There were two older demons inside the crate with them, watching them with hungry eyes as they made sure they couldn't escape. One had taken a crying female wolf youkai barely out of infancy for his own pleasure. Kuronue watched in unprecedented rage as he forced the child's head between his legs and succeeded in his ruthless plunder in stealing a child's innocence.

Barely in adolescence himself, he already felt a surge of an honor code blossoming inside of him. It was cowardly to prey on the weak.

The children began to cry harder now as the crate was slowing, marking the beginning of the slave trade of their persons.

But someone was watching him as he sat staring into nothing, his wings covering as much of himself as possible in an instinctual way of protecting himself from the emotional abuse.

As he felt eyes burning onto the left side of his face, he barely turned his head to find the possessor of those burning eyes.

And he was captivated.

On the other side of the crate from him sat the most beautiful male youkai he had ever seen before. Messy fading gold strands of hair cascading a pale complexion with a pair of small fox ears as he was covered in a moldy blanket, but Kuronue could see an adorable tuft of a tail peeking out. It was a rare kitsune caught between his golden childhood and his silver adulthood. But his eyes was what was mesmerizing. Glowing golden eyes staring at him without shame; calculating, interested and alive compared to the dreary atmosphere.

And almost like magic, the fox child slowly crawled his way over, his eyes never leaving Kuronue's, as if doing so would break some sort of hypnotic spell he had put on the bat child.

He gasped when the fox demon sat next to him, almost snuggling against him. Kuronue looked up and said the first word he never thought he'd ever utter again.

"Hello."

The fox child looked at him and a small grin graced his features. "My name's Youko Kurama. You?"

"Koumori Kuronue." He answered back, almost softly for he hadn't spoken in years. "Are you a fox youkai...?"

Kurama shrugged. "Snow fox. You're a bat youkai, aren't you?" He gently prodded Kuronue's wings to provide proof to his guess. "Your wings are the blackest I've seen in these parts."

Kuronue nodded and slowly unfurled them, unconsciously letting Kurama into his personal space. "Why were you staring at me, Kurama?"

The fox child smiled and touched the bat child's dirtied face. It was strange for Kuronue to be so calm as to not flinch at the touch. He was a twitchy child when he was manhandled by his kidnappers. "I like your eyes. What color are they?"

Kuronue blinked. "I don't know. I've never seen what I look like."

The demon who forced the child onto him was watching hungrily at the scene between the two boys as they got comfy with each other and wrenched the child off of him, his interest more into the bat and fox. He approached the two children as he picked up on their conversation.

"Hello, boys," The demon grinned lecherously at the two. Kuronue glared but nonetheless cowered at the perverse man while Kurama merely glanced at the demon with disinterest. "I'll tell you what color the little bat boy's eyes are if you would like to do a favor for me?"

Kuronue shook his head vehemently. Whatever the demon wanted, it wasn't going to be safe. But Kurama gave a ghost of a smirk. "Tell me first, then we'll do whatever you ask of us."

The bat demon looked at Kurama as if he just bit him and whispered brokenly, "What...? Please..."

But the two demons staring at each other did not heed his words and the unnamed demon shamelessly pulled his sexual parts from his pants. Both the demon children glared at it.

"If I tell you, you both must put yourselves against me," He grinned a broad grin and pointed at his parts. "Deal?"

"Deal." Kurama replied in boredom. Kuronue looked like his soul was going to leave him. "So, what color are his eyes?"

"Stupid boy," The demon grinned as he pulled both boys against separate thighs. "They're purple."

Kuronue gritted his teeth and closed his eyes as hard as he can to keep from seeing the demon's disgusting parts while Kurama's bored gaze never faded.

"Ready boys?"

Before Kuronue had the urge to scream, the demon did it for him and he was wrenched away from the earsplitting scream. He opened his eyes to see Kurama smiling a demon's smile next to him, a bloodied knife he unsheathed from the perverted demon's belt hilt. The demon was on the floor, screaming as he clutched his crotch as blood covered the floor.

"What did you do?!" Kuronue screamed in fright as the demon twisted madly in pain.

"I castrated him," Kurama answered back plainly, ready for another bloody battle.

Kuronue shook his head in panic. "What does that mean?!"

Before Kurama even had the decency to answer, the children screamed in alarm and the other demon ran to his comrade's aid only to be slashed in the neck by Kurama's charging blade. Kuronue had never seen blood so beautiful on his new friend as the youkai in him growled for more bloodshed.

The crate came to an abrupt halt from the distraction inside and Kurama kicked the door open, children spilling out for escape. Kurama pulled the paralyzed bat demon up.

"Come on, bats!" Kurama grinned crazily. "Let's go before they catch us."

Kuronue had no qualms about staying and willfully followed the fox youkai deep into the snow encrusted forest.

The bat youkai didn't know how long they ran—it seemed like forever and a second before they reached a clearing and it began to dawn on the young child that they had no shelter nor food whatsoever to survive the winter. They were still pups who needed the warmth of father and mother to help them survive.

"Well, I guess this is where we part, purple-eyed bat youkai," Kurama winked at him. Kuronue wondered if the fox was an old man trapped in a child's body. "We've ran far enough that they won't be able to find us."

"But..." Kuronue didn't want to be alone, but as a self proud youkai, he couldn't admit it aloud and he watched in anguish as Kurama turned away.

"Don't take it too seriously, kid. You know how Makai works. We gotta live alone to survive alone," The silver fox turned to give him a wistful grin. "You understand, right?"

Though his face was expressionless, Kurama could easily see loneliness in his eyes and turned away. He would not falter. He worked alone. Youkos survived alone. He survived alone.

Still, he could not look at the bat demon. "Good luck." And with that, he leaped into the trees and ran as fast as he can.

* * *

It began to snow when Kuronue tried to leap for a rabbit that took shelter from the cold, hungry as hell.

As it disappeared out of sight, he could only groan in defeat and took shelter in the trees where the snow hit the least and used his wings to act as a shield from the stray droplets of snow and huddled there, cold as hell.

He knew he wasn't going to survive the winter and every hibernation hole he found had either caved in or were filled with grumpy demons.

But, he was determined to survive. He couldn't let it end like this. He didn't want the fox's trouble to get him out of the slave trade be in vain.

It was then that he heard snarling somewhere far off and hoping it was a trapped animal to eat, investigated. He ended in a small clearing where he saw Kurama who had half of his body in a half-dug fox hole and the other half curled to keep his fur as warm as possible. The snarling and the irritable shaking of snowflakes from his fur continued.

Grumbling at the disappearing hope of a struggling animal, he made to leave when something stopped him.

Somewhere in his cold chest told him to go back to the wet fox demon and provide for him and with a frustrated sigh, he paced himself towards the fox, despite the fact that the same person had left him cruelly to fend for himself.

Kurama growled possessively when he sensed youki approaching and made to attack despite being wet and uncomfortable.

He looked up and his bared fangs turned into a disappointed smirk. "Ah. It's just you bats. Too bad though. Fighting could've kept me warm."

"You can fight me if you want," Kuronue looked at him warily. "It can keep me from thinking about how hungry I am."

Kurama shook his head. "What are you doing here, bats?"

Kuronue glared at the name. "Don't call me that, _fox,_" He warned as he pulled Kurama out of the fox hole. "Is this the best you can do?" He dived headfirst into the fox hole and began digging deeper into the ground as best as his energy can hold.

"I'm not in the best shape right now, you know," Kurama stared pointedly at Kuronue's back. "The ground's too cold to dig into."

"And you call yourself a snow fox!" Kuronue shook his head as his hands began to sting from the cold digging and soon, Kurama squeezed against him to help.

"You're doing it wrong, bats!"

"Then show me, you stupid fox so I don't feel the urge to instead dig a grave for your arrogant ass!" Kuronue snarled as he felt the fox demon climb on top of him to smooth out the ceiling.

"It's an art form to dig a fox hole, bats! All your people do is lazily hang upside down in caves." Kurama retorted smugly.

The dark haired youkai glared at him. "Don't make me hurt you."

Soon enough, they managed to create a suitable fox hole big enough for the both of them to merely crawl into and filled it in with leaves to provide cushion. Kurama looked it up and down and nodded, satisfied.

"Not bad."

Kuronue shrugged. "Payment for helping me get out of the crate." He proceeded to climb out.

"Where're you going?" Kurama demanded as Kuronue was halfway out.

The bat youkai blinked. "I'm leaving. Survive alone, right?"

"Yeah, but you don't have shelter at all," Kurama reasoned rationally. "You won't survive."

"I'll do what I can."

Kurama groaned in frustration and began to think about how to resolve the situation without compromising his pride. "Wait," He warned.

"What?" Kuronue nearly had his foot out when he stopped.

"Listen. You've got wings, right?"

"Duh."

"Well, I've got fur that'll keep me warm, but it's no good when I'm wet. Your wings keep you from getting wet, but you have nothing to keep you warm, so let's agree to survive with this," Kurama explained smartly. "Let's stay here together for the winter. I'll keep you warm and you keep me dry. That way, we'll both survive the winter, okay?"

Kuronue looked away and thought about it for a bit. He was more tired than hungry and the idea of getting warm appealed to him. "Alright. It's a deal."

He just didn't expect to be hugging another male youkai just to get his warm fur and he shifted uncomfortably as he was crushed against Kurama's chest. But as it was Kurama's fur he was partaking in, Kurama had the choice of which position they were to sleep in.

And as promised, he draped his wings over their forms to keep the heat in and before they both knew it, they were warm and toasty curled against each other. Kuronue had found Kurama's tail warm and soft.

"You won't be wet because of your wings, would you?" Kurama mumbled tiredly as he felt Kuronue shiver in his arms.

"No, now shut up and let me sleep, fox," Kuronue answered irritably, but Kurama could see a hint of a smile on the now sleeping youkai.

* * *

"Hey! Bats, stop daydreaming slacker!" Kuronue shook out of his reverie as his partner snapped his fingers near his face.

He looked up. "What? I'm done catching the food," He pointed to a knapsack filled with dead rabbit and fish that was packed in with snow to keep it fresh. "So stop heckling me!"

"I can heckle you all I want, Kuronue, because I am your god." Kurama boasted regally, dropping a well used shovel down.

Kuronue eyed it. "You're done already? That was fast."

"Just in case you haven't noticed, my beloved partner-in-crime," Kurama hoisted both the treasures and hibernation food bags over his shoulder. "I'm a fox. It's predetermined in my genes from ancestor to ancestor."

Said partner picked up the dry tinder wood and followed the fox to their hibernation hole. "Could've fooled me, Youko."

"Get inside before I shut you out. I'm hungry, cold and in need of some demon on demon interaction." Kurama all but pushed him into the hole and followed him inside.

Almost at once, Kuronue had the fire going in the far back where Kurama had left part of the fox hole open to blow the smoke out and prepared the fish and rabbit. Kurama resorted to setting up the hibernation bed and protecting the fox hole with his plant youki.

Kuronue raised an eyebrow at the fabric on the floor. "Where the hell did you get that fur from?"

"I tussled a bear youkai a while ago," Kurama explained proudly. "Stupid son of a bitch thought I was a regular fox. And this other fur I got from a horny cougar youkai."

"What the hell do you mean by 'horny'?" Kuronue looked up from gutting the rabbit.

"He tried to seduce me."

"Figures." Kurama was such a pretty demon. Kuronue had to admit that. "But to skin the poor asshole alive..."

"But if I left with him, where would you sleep for the winter?" Kurama gave him a cheeky grin. "I had your best interest at heart. Aren't I a good partner?"

Kuronue resumed cooking irritably, but with a small smirk on his face. "You're going to be a terrible mate someday, Youko Kurama. Because you can't cook shit and I doubt Mr. Cougar would share his food with you. You and your mate will starve to death."

"It's a good thing you can cook then, huh?" Kurama helped himself to some fish that were staked and hung against the edge of the fire. "Don't need to look for a mate to feed me. Hell, you and I are pretty much mates if we just consummate with each other and--ouch!"

Kuronue smacked him upside the head, but Kurama could see a small red tinge on his bat partner's face. "Just shut up and eat, stupid fox."

Despite the fact that they were now well-equipped with fur and a warm fire to keep themselves nice and toasty to be separate from each other, they both had to admit that it was second nature to be snuggled together as Youko so nicely explained one fine winter. At one point he commented that doing so was integrated into their survival instincts.

Whether it was true or not, Kuronue didn't seem to care or mind that his pride would get serious bruising in the arms of his long time partner and friend. It was probably what brought them together as kindred spirits.

Even though Kurama seems to have a knack of kicking in his sleep or that he would sometimes try to climb on top of the unsuspecting bat youkai halfway through the winter, it was the rare times of the year where Kuronue really felt like home.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.


	3. Treasure Hoard

Treasure Hoard

Summary: Among the riches and spoils, a true thief knows the best jewel is the one treasured the most.

Warnings: Intense swearing. Seriously, even I wouldn't go so far with Kuronue's swearing streak... xP

* * *

Kuronue sighed as he was hunched over a booth with the rest of the drunk youkai, drinking Bankou to his heart's content.

He was pissed. No, he was passed pissed and was near the brink of permanent insanity.

After a near brush experience with death, the bat youkai would've thought that Kurama could have least consoled him? Yelled at him? Anything that would be evident that Kurama had actually cared that his ass was almost handed on a platter to King Yakumo of the Netherworld tonight. But nope, not even that.

Kurama was somewhere in the hotel, flaunting the newest treasure that almost killed him to the hookers and sluts praying for the chance to bed the famous thief at last.

"Hey, fella. Do you need a healer for that wound?" The bartender, midway through drying a glass, pointed at Kuronue's recent wound that started to bleed through his half-assed attempt to wrap it with his leather armbands. "You don't look like the weak type for that wound to keep bleeding like that, it could be cursed."

"You don't say..." Kuronue mumbled slovenly, the drink kicking in. "Figures it'd be cursed. Stupid fox."

The bartender shook his head. "Listen, I've got a nephew who's a healer. He's good at curses and shit like that. If you want, I'll call him over."

Kuronue merely nodded and stood up, a little unsteady on his feet. "I...I need to find my partner...um..." Damned Yakumo he forgot his partner's name! "He's...uh...this tall...?" He raised a hand a little over his head, despite the fact that Kurama was well over four feet past his six foot, six inches height. "And he's got ears and a tail."

"Kid, you're describing every idiot in this bar," the bartender chuckled as some of his customers raised their heads from the remark. "Anything striking in his features?"

Kuronue thought about it and remembered a color of silver from his partner's tail. "Yeah, he has silver hair that like...shines in the moonlight sometimes and..." He began remembering the vividness of his partner's eyes when he would playfully give him chaste kisses or beat him at some sort of game. "He's got these golden eyes, right? They're really sharp but thick...well, something like that. You get sucked in them when he looks at you and you can't look away until he does--and it really sucks you know?"

"Sounds like you're in love with him or something..." The bartender was surprised at the dark glare the bat youkai was giving him. "I'm just kidding kid. Anywho, I know where your partner is. Yeah, he went upstairs to the lounge with a couple of hookers, ready to bury the hatchet I bet."

"Well, that's just fucking great. It's just fucking wonderful!" Kuronue threw his hands up in the air in drunken exasperation. "Here I am drowning myself in fucking liquor, almost fucking killed myself and my partner's up there fucking until the sun don't shine and he doesn't fucking care at all!" He gave a great breath of air and stumbled toward the stairs, about to give Kurama a piece of his mind.

"My nephew will be here in a bit!" the bartender called up as Kuronue made his way up the stairs. Kuronue merely waved sluggishly as an affirmative.

* * *

"Oh, Lord Kurama! How did you get such a beautiful necklace?" A busty hawk youkai dangled the teardrop-styled silver necklace into the light to see the blood-red pummel stone unnaturally sparkle. "What kind of stone is it?"

Kurama merely smiled slyly as a blond tigress youkai rubbed his chest sensually, her lips descending upon his neck while a brunette snake youkai practically slithered against him, rubbing her hands through his fine, silver locks.

"If you can guess it, you can have it _and_ me tonight," Kurama grinned lecherously. "Thieves' promise."

"I think the stone's a Seiryoku Isshi," the tigress proclaimed excitedly. "It shines like the one my twin brother has on his dagger!"

The snake youkai rolled her eyes. "Idiot, the Influence Stone doesn't have the same color as this one. It must be the Akai Suishou, the Red Crystal."

"You must realize that the great Lord Kurama doesn't do business with common stones, ladies!" the hawk youkai glared at the women primly. "I know what it is."

Kurama looked at her with hidden interest in his eyes. "Oh? Do share."

"It's the Takara Motomeru," She answered confidently. "The infamous treasure seeker."

"Wrong." Came a rather livid voice from across the room. Kurama blinked at the sight.

Kuronue looked like shit. His hair cascaded about on his ponytail and his eyes deeply inhibited with alcohol. There was blood oozing from his wound and Kurama raised an eyebrow.

"We stole the Takara Motomeru last week...and it's the size of your ass," Kuronue glanced slightly to the side at the demoness' enlarged backside for elaboration. "For your slight advancement in Makai education, it's the Tamotsu Kusari..." Kuronue glared hotly at the necklace in the woman's hand. "The treasure that almost fucking killed me."

A couple of the girls glared at the offending youkai whereas Kurama merely clapped his hands.

"Congrats, Kuronue. You win."

"Not fair!! He's your partner!" Was the chorus of the trio of women as Kurama arose to his feet and lifted his drunken partner's bleeding arm. "It's still bleeding?"

Kuronue wrenched his arm away. "What do you fucking care, you cunt fucking horndog?!"

"Quite a mouth on you," Kurama whispered dangerously as he waved the now nervous women out of the room. "For someone who nearly got killed by his own doing."

"Yeah, because protecting your stupid ass isn't important at all," Kuronue growled back as he stumbled back onto the wall. He slapped Kurama's offering hand away. "Don't fucking touch me!"

Kurama shook his head. "I see you're a mean drunk. Remind me not to have you drink again."

"There won't be an again," Kuronue muttered bitterly. "Because I'm leaving you."

"You're drunk," the fox demon repeated seriously. "You'll regret what you said tomorrow."

"No I won't," the raven haired demon struggled to stand. "I can't hang with someone who'll throw their life away for the rush of a stupid necklace. Not when you have somebody who would mourn for you if you die."

"And who would mourn for me?" Kurama gently coaxed.

"I would, stupid." Kuronue shook his head. "You're my friend."

"But you also agreed to be my thieving partner, Kuronue, remember that," Kurama steadied the dangerously swerving bat demon. "We steal not just for the thrill, but to survive."

The fox demon, for the first time in his life, was stunned by the crushed look his partner was giving him.

And nearly dropped dead when Kuronue reached up to kiss him full on the lips, into which Kurama automatically responded to until the bat demon withdrew to take full deep breaths against his partner's neck after the long kiss.

He looked him dead on in the eyes and Kurama could see an impending anguish in those indigo irises.

"You'll be the death of me, Youko Kurama."

Kurama called out his name in shock as Kuronue retreated back down the stairs to throw up the alcohol out of his system.

Every second seemed to make his head worse as he laid his heated forehead against the toilet seat after his third and succeeded attempt at heaving the contents in his stomach out of his body.

"Hey there," said a soothing voice behind him. "My name's Daidenji. My uncle said you might have a bad curse in your wound?"

Kuronue lifted his head weakly. "Oh, yeah, yeah," He lifted his arm for the healer to see. "Just don't like...spin me around or something."

Daidenji examined it before smiling. "Ah, it's a curse alright. But because the wound is minor, the curse won't kill you." Kuronue could feel the healer's youki pouring into him and felt his wound and even his aching head feel better. When he looked again, the cut felt lighter than before.

"Thanks," Kuronue mumbled. "How much do you want?"

Daidenji smiled handsomely which caught the bat demon's attention. "How about a date?"

Kuronue raised an eyebrow and then gave a short chuckle. "I don't know what that bartender told you, but I'm not into men."

"Yes, now if you don't mind," A low tenor growled. "Your services are over and I need to take my drunken partner home to lick his wounds."

Kuronue groaned at the sound. "I'm fine right here where the room doesn't spin, thank you very much, your majesty." He moaned in agony when Kurama abruptly lifted him to his feet and proceeded out the hotel. "Why don't you ever listen to me?!"

"Because your sense of judgment is terrible when you're drunk as hell," Kurama scolded half-heartedly as he picked up speed to head to their secret hovel in the forest. "And you don't get the privilege for the simple fact that you ruined my night."

"I'm so sorry I ruined your evening with missing your chance to catch something with those flea-bitten hoebags you call females," Kuronue muttered darkly as they reached the cave and he was gratefully sent onto the warm fur pile they called a bed.

His breath hitched in his throat when his partner placed his silk-like lips against the still open, but curse-free wound and gave a rather throaty gasp when he felt something warm and slippery slide along the wound, sucking the blood and sealing it with an intimate gesture meant for mates, not partners in arms.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kuronue demanded breathlessly as he felt the healing saliva of the fox demon course from inside his newly sealed cut and flowing into the bloodstream, slowly bringing him to a sober fashion.

"Don't you know...?" Kurama whispered softly as he dangled the prized necklace above Kuronue's face, his lips ghosting over the trembling ones belonging to the bat demon. "I made a Thieves' Promise that whoever could guess the stone on this necklace that I would give it and myself to that person for tonight. Can you guess who answered correctly...?"

Kuronue rolled his eyes as it dawned on him. "Oh, crap..."

Kurama's happy-go-lucky smile could kill. Kuronue wished it did. "I'm yours for tonight, bats. Or, in your case since you're way too out of it to do anything to me..._you_ are mine for tonight."

"Hey, now wait just a minute, Kurama!" Kuronue groaned in aggravation as Kurama kissed him and proceeded to kiss lower and lower down his body.

"You can't say differently now that you kissed me before, bats!" Kurama smirked around his collarbone as he proceeded to untie his shirt. "I've always had that inkling feeling that you wanted me."

The fox let Kuronue beg and bitch for a bit before he laughed it off and climbed off of the still drunk bat demon, looking satisfied. "Kuronue. Relax. I'm not going to fuck you crazy...yet. It's not in my code to have someone while drunk."

"Aren't I the lucky bastard," Kuronue's voice trembled on relief, disappointment and sarcasm at the same time, twisting to his side to see his partner's grinning facade. "On second thought, you're the bastard. Not me."

Kurama chuckled and reached to run his fingers through Kuronue's silky, soft hair and watched as his normally sarcastic indigo eyes soften as he settled himself comfortably into the fox's touch.

It wasn't that Kurama didn't care about Kuronue's near brush with death, he just didn't want to lament on the fact that his batty partner can leave this twisted world in a blink of an eye and he would never see his dark, brooding face ever again.

He might never admit it out loud, but Kuronue meant more to him than he possibly ever could care about someone in this evil, cold world of demons. His mother merely an abandoning bitch and his father a wandering bastard in his eyes. But Kuronue--

He was someone he was willing to share his treasure with, laugh with, eat with, fight with...he's the only person he could trust to look after him if he had fallen ill, or sleep with during the long hibernation months without wondering if he was to be stabbed in the back later.

Kuronue was everything and yet nothing at the same time.

"Stop thinking, you're scaring the shit out of me when you look like that," Kuronue muttered sluggishly but alertly when he felt Kurama's fingers begin to caress his face almost lovingly. "Planning to strangle me now that I seem to want to defect from you?"

Kurama smirked as he rested his fingers around Kuronue's neck at the remark and squeezed lightly, earning a small moan from the bat. "But that would be too easy. You know how I enjoy playing with my food before I devour it whole," He whispered huskily as Kuronue's eyes were growing alight at the double innuendos. "I won't let you get away from me so easily. You know too much of my secrets."

Kuronue smirked, but faltered quickly as sleep was slowly robbing him of his senses.

"Kuronue," Kurama whispered him back to the temporary waking world. "Before you go comatose, answer me this. After all of the near deaths we've went through as thieves, this one bothers you the most," He shifted almost uncomfortably. "Why?"

The bat youkai merely looked directly into Youko's eyes and for once, couldn't come up with an answer. "I don't know." Kuronue blinked as the realization dawned on him. "Kurama...we've been partners for so long. I guess I couldn't let you take the fall because of my mistakes. Strange..." He looked up at Kurama, as if shocked. "I know it doesn't seem like what a youkai might say, but I didn't want to lose you. Against better judgment, I suppose, I acted out of instinct to protect you."

"Sounds like a human," Kurama furrowed his eyebrows in contemplation. Was this why humans were so complex? "Well, if in any situation, I guess I'd do the same for you."

Kuronue raised an eyebrow. "You guess?" He sighed. "Inari..." He then shrugged. "Well, considering it's a fox youkai were talking about, I'd say that'd suffice..."

"Ha ha," Kurama grumbled as he embraced Kuronue, an instinctual desire to be close to his dark companion. And then thought of something. "Here."

Kuronue looked up when his partner raised the necklace in the dim cave, the red gem sparkling quietly in the silent space. He blinked when Kurama watched the gentle swaying of the pendant and slowly placed it gently against his lips, the most sweetest kiss he had ever seen the Youko give upon something.

"Kuronue," Kurama glanced at the bat youkai's profile, a smile playing on his lips. "Do you know the Makai translation of this necklace?"

The bat youkai eyed it warily. "The Tamotsu Kusari? No. Is there an important ability to it or something?"

"Actually, it does," the fox youkai murmured as he dangled it once again to Kuronue's face. This time, Kuronue watched in fascination as he realized some Kurama's youki was radiating from the gem. "Kuronue. Kiss me."

He was a taken back. "What?"

"Kiss me, bats," Kurama whispered back huskily. "And hurry before this infernal gem sucks all the youki from me."

"The hell?!" Kuronue panicked as the gem in Kurama's hand pulsed brighter, indicating his partner's sincerity and did as he was ordered, firmly locking his mouth against the fox's in a desperate attempt at a kiss.

He could feel nothing accept the warmth of Kurama's lips and the feel some of his youki being drained and nearly blacked out from the pulsing brightness of the gem had it not been for Kurama's arms and the soft fur of the bed.

"Kurama?" Kuronue whispered in fear as Kurama collapsed on top him, breathing sharply.

"Thanks for the boost," Kurama breathed into his partner's chest. "Would've been knocked out cold."

"What the hell did you do?!" the bat youkai demanded in worry. "I thought we agreed against using strange objects we steal if we don't know how it works!"

"This pendant, Kuronue, means 'Soul Chain'," Kurama went on, ignoring the beginning Kuronue's rant. "Once someone's youki is poured into the pendant and is worn by the wearer, they will always find each other no matter how separated they are from each other. I thought it would calm your fears if you have it on you." He gently clasped the chain around Kuronue's neck and kissed it's base. "As long as it touches your skin, you will always feel me, no matter how far we are from each other. You will always have me with you so long as you have it. Part of our souls are chained together in this stone."

Kuronue watched in silence as Kurama's breathing even out and touched the still warm pendant, feeling his partner's youki reverberating throughout his body, as if he was being caressed by Kurama himself.

"I can feel him burning into my youki..." Kuronue groaned at the heated feeling coursing through his veins. "Kurama..." He sighed and then slowly, but surely, wrapped his arms around the fox youkai, allowing him into his space without restraint.

* * *

_I'll never lose this pendant_, Kuronue thought deeply as he sat in post-meditation, allowing his youki to become dimmed for the next theft heist. The pendant was what reassured Kuronue that Kurama was alive and well. It was now a part of his being.

Kurama was a part of his being.

"Kuronue, it's time to move out," Kurama called from a clearing, his face an utmost look of inhibited excitement. The fox found treasure--the exciting kind. "This time I told Yomi and the others to stand down. This one's ours."

This interested the bat youkai. "How's so?"

"They'll get too greedy with this treasure," Kurama smirked cryptically. "The golden Kagami Nozomi."

"A mirror?" Kuronue raised an eyebrow. "That's what you're excited about?" He fingered his pendant out of habit. "Doesn't sound so special."

"It's not just any mirror, bats," Kurama grinned coyly. "This mirror will grant the user one wish, no strings attached. Any worldly possession in the world we could have!"

Kuronue looked at his fox partner with suspicion. "I don't know. I have a feeling this won't turn out so well."

"No point of living if we don't take the risk, Kuronue," Kurama pulled the reluctant bat youkai into his arms and nuzzled cheek to cheek. "Admit it, you want to feel the rush of thieving run through your veins."

He did have a point as Kuronue rolled his eyes. It did sound enticing. "Where is it?"

Kurama smirked, obvious that he won. "The Bamboo Kingdom." And with that, he stalked forward to inform Yomi that he was reluctantly in charge of the group for tonight.

Kuronue followed him moodily. "You'd think that they'd pick an original name for a place merely surrounded by bamboo stalks...and honestly, I don't understand how you always place Yomi as second-in-command to lead the group. I'll bet you myself that we'll find some of them missing by morning."

"I hope you keep that to heart," Kurama turned to smile lustfully at his partner. "I find it sexy that you'd bet your body on my account." When Kuronue glared at him he continued. "The brat has potential, bats, and I see it. He'll grow up someday."

"You talk like he's your son," Kuronue grumbled. "How un-Youko of you."

Nevertheless, he was happy to see Kurama so excited about the newest robbery in their plates, and couldn't help but willingly follow his partner to whatever life took them.

_I think I care about him..._Kuronue could only realize as they begin on their journey to raid the Kingdom of Bamboo. _I'll always be there for him._

The pendant was proof of that. The bond he and Kurama shared was deeper than any partnership, any friendship, any relationship. It was the symbol of entwining their lives with each other for the rest of their lives and maybe even further on towards the Netherworld.

_I'll die first before I lose this pendant._

"_Kuronue! NO!"_

"_I need it!!"_

"_Forget about me Kurama! Go! Run now!"_

If he lost the pendant, he would lose him. He would lose the one thing that kept him and Kurama together in spirit. The one thing Kurama gave him that meant everything to the both of them.

He would rather die than lose the one thing Kurama poured his heart into.

That was a promise.


End file.
